Container closure



Feb. 1, 1966 E. G. PROTHE 3,232,471

CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed July 21, 1964 FIG. 4

INVENTOR. EM] L G. PROTH ATTORNEY United States Patent OfillC6 3,232,471 CDNTAINER CLGSURE Emil G. Prothe, 8797 NE. Fremont, Portland, Oreg. Filed July 21, 1964, 521'. No. 384,212 1 Claim. (Cl. 215-43) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in container closures.

Container closures for toothpaste tubes, shaving lotions, and other types of containers comprise a threaded cap on the container and a resilient sealing member or gasket which provides a seal between the cap and the container. The sealing member generally is seated interiorly of the cap and frequently falls therefrom or sticks to the top of the container when the cap is removed. It is either necessary to repeatedly handle this sealing member or to apply the cap without it with the result that a positive seal is not thereafter established between the cap and the container. It is therefore a primary objective of the present invention to provide a container cap having an inner sealing member which is securely attached to the cap.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container cap which has a novel structural shape serving to form a positive seal between the cap and a container.

Another object is to provide a sealing member of the type described which serves to hold an advertising plate in place on top of the closure.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a rigid or semirigid cap to which is attached a resilient sealing member whereby when the cap is removed from the container the said sealing member will always remain with the cap to prevent the inconvenience of keeping said sealing member therewith. In a preferred construction, the sealing member is rotatably connected to the cap whereby relative rotation between the cap and the sealing member ma exist to accomplish an efiicient sealing connection of the cap on a container. With one form of connection as just mentioned, the present sealing member can be utilized to hold an advertising plate on an outer surface of the cap.

The invention will be better understood and additional objects will become apparent from the following specification and claims, considered together with the accompanying drawings, wherein the numerals of reference indicate like parts and wherein:

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical, central sectional view taken through one embodiment of the present container cap, the cap being shown apart from a container;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 except that it shows the cap secured on a container;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the cap of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a central sectional view through a sealing member which forms a part of the present invention; and

FIGURE 5 is a central sectional view of a modified form of cap.

Referring first to FIGURE 2, the present cap is adapted for use with a container having a neck portion 12 provided with external screw th eads 14. Such is the usual spout portion for containers of toothpaste, shaving creams, cosmetics, etc.

The preferred embodiment of the present cap, designated generally by the numeral 16 and illustrated in FIGURES 1-4, comprises a molded body having a head portion 13 and a side wall portion 2% projecting from the periphery of the head portion. Side wall portion 23 has internal screw threads 22. Adapted for securement to the cap 16 is a sealing member 24 having a body portion 26, a neck or projection 28, and a top enlargement 31 on said neclr. Enlargement 39 preferably is rounded on its upper end but its lower end has fiat edges projecting outwardl at substantially right angles to the neck.

3,232,471 Patented Feb. 1, 19%6 ber in the cap, the neck 25 being of a selected length such that the projection 30 will firmly grip the outer side of the'cap and urge the body portion 24 firmly into engage 'ment with the inner side of the head.

It may be desired to secure a thin advertising plate 36, FIGURE 1, on the top surface of the closure 16. In this case the neck 28 merely needs to be slightly longer to space the enlargement a sufiicient distance above the top surface of head 18 to accommodate said plate. The plate may include any desired advertising indicia on its upper surface.

The body 26 of sealing member 24 has a normally flat bottom surface 38 and a normally rounded top surface 49, the body portion having a greater thickness at its central portion. The sealing member 24 is shown apart from the cap in FIGURE 4. FIGURE 2 illustrates the sealing position and shape of the member 24 when the closure 16 is threaded tightly on the neck 12 of a container. Before the closure is threaded onto the container, the sealing member 24 assumes its normal shape as shown in FIG- URES l and 4. As the cap is threaded onto the container, the bottom surface 33 of the sealing member is first brought into engagement with the top edge of the neck 12 of the container. Thus, a sealing function is accomplished immediately. Upon additional rotation of the closure the sealing member 24 is distorted to the shape of FIGURE 2 wherein its upper rounded surface 40 is pressed up liush against the bottom surface of the head 18 into a flat condition and the top edge of the container neck is embedded somewhat into the lower surface 38. Said lower surface also assums a generally rounded contour when the cap is fully mounted on the container.

In a preferred construction the neck 23 of the sealing member has a rotatable association with the aperture 32 so that once the sealing member has firmly engaged the top edge of the container it will remain stationary as the cap is further rotated. Thus, the sealing member will be compressed forcefully on top of the neck 12 and will conform to any irregularities in the top edge of said neck and form a positive seal.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a modification of the present invention. The sealing member 24 is of identical construction to that of FIJURE l. The cap lea, however, has a thickened head portion 13a provided with an aperture 32a leading inwardly from its internal surface. Aperture 3.2:: terminates in an enlarged internal cavity and the sealing member 24 is mounted on the cap by forcing the enlargement 3% through the aperture 32a so that it will be contained in cavity 42 for securing the sealing member to the closure.

In accordance with the present invention a cap or closure is provided which has a sealing member not capable of becoming displaced at least without considerable deliberate effort. Therefore, when the cap is unthreaded from the neck of the container, the sealing memher will be lifted from the top of the neck without sticking thereon or becoming lost when the cap is removed. Furthermore, the sealing member which forms a part of the cap serves efficiently to seal the cap on a container.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herein shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to 6 without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A container closure comprising a head portion having an inner surface, peripheral side walls on said head portion having internal screw threads arranged to engage external screw threads on a container for tightening said closure on the container, means in said head portion defining an aperture, a resilient sealing member disposed interiorly of said closure member adjacent the inner surface of said head portion, a projection on said sealing member received in said aperture and having an enlargement thereon engageable with said head portion for connecting said sealing member to said head portion, the connection of said projection and enlargement to said head portion comprising a rotatable connection, said sealing member having a rounded upper surface and a fiat bottom surface and being arranged to remain stationary on the top edge of a container as said closure is threadedly tightened on the References ited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,910,913 5/1933 Conner 215-43 3,053,407 9/1962 Lowen 215-43 FOREIGN PATENTS w 872,981 7/ 1961 Great Britain.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

R. PESHOCK, Assistant Examiner. 

